Mediation for county labor negotiations fruitless

Labor negotiations between the county of Mendocino administration and the union that represents the majority of its workers got nowhere during state mediation, and will now move to a fact-finding phase.

A state mediator held a meeting with county administrators and Service Employees International Union, Local 1021, which represents about 700 of the county's employees, as part of the process through which the parties were going after the county declared impasse earlier this year.

"We were hopeful that the third-party mediation would calm things down and create an environment where the parties could talk without the unnecessary positioning and posturing that was going on through the strike," said county Assistant CEO Kyle Knopp.

He referred to a one-day strike the union held Sept. 24, when county workers set up picket lines at three visible areas in Ukiah and in Willits and Fort Bragg.

At issue was a 10-percent pay cut many county employees had taken voluntarily for years before the last contract with SEIU, signed two years ago, made the cut permanent. Now that the county's budget has a nearly $9 million reserve, union members want the county to restore those wages.

The fact-finding phase is a "non-binding arbitration," according to Knopp, who explained that the county and SEIU will split the cost of a state fact-finder -- an attorney experienced in mediation. Fact-finding is a required step in labor mediation procedures when the parties are at impasse that was only recently extended to counties and cities.

For the second consecutive negotiation cycle, the county and union both filed claims against each other with the state Public Employment Relations Board claiming illegal practices in labor negotiations. The county and SEIU filed claims with the state Public Employment Relations Board in 2011 and again this year, each claiming the other party used unfair practices.